Learn the Facts About Coyotes and the Truth about Coyote Hunting

Coyote Questions Answered

Project CoyoteProject Coyote promotes educated coexistence between people and coyotes by championing progressive management policies and fostering respect for and understanding of America's native wild "song dog."
Eastern Coyote Institute is not affilitated in any way with Project Coyote.

Is Man Supposed to Control Predator Populations?No. Man has really screwed up a lot of balances in ecosystems! A predators role is to control prey populations, and that is important so that prey don't over graze land and destroy their own food sources. Predators aren't supposed to control other predators, Nature doesn't work that way. Man has quite an ego and has misunderstood and abused his of "dominion over animals" . No doubt, his "dominion over animals" should be taken away.

Did Biologists Release Cougars to Control the Coyote Population?No. C'Mon, do you really believe this stuff? A little knowledge of cougar and coyote biology as well as Federal Law will answer this one for you. Cougars have no interest in killing coyotes, and in fact are easily treed by any member of the canine species. Any legitimate (the key word here) cougar sightings are no doubt the occasional released exotic pet.

Were Coyotes deliberately released in the Eastern States?NO. Some people actually believe that the conservation agencies stocked coyotes in the Eastern states to control the deer population. We already know that coyotes can not control the deer population and there are more deer and turkey than ever, so why would they have to? Coyotes naturally expanded their range, coming into New England through Maine and New York. they have been around isnce at least the early 1920's. Some scientists believe they have been here all along, since remains have been found in certain archeological finds.

Will Coyotes Cause Prey Species to Become Extinct? NO. A smart predator would NEVER kill all his prey. Coyotes are a smart predator and have never been ersponsible for killing oof a species. Man however, is a different story. Since Man has walked the earth, they have directly caused the extinction and extirpation of millions of species of plants and animals.

Do Coyotes Kill Domestic Cats and Dogs?Sure. So do cars, diseases, neighbors guns, owls, domestic dogs, poisons, traps, snares and over crowded shelters. If you allow your cats and dogs to roam freely something bad IS going to happen to them. Dogs and Cats kill plenty of wildlife on their own too. It is easy to blame the coyotes when your pet comes up missing, but face the facts here. Keep your animals near you and in the home and they will live a long healthy life.

Do Coyotes Control Deer Populations? Not according to Deer Biologists. Ken Koerth, noted deer biologist is quoted in Whitetail Magazine as saying that "coyotes normally can't control deer populations on their own". Many deer hunters are disappointed when they return home empty handed and find it easier to blame coyotes than themselves. Ask the home owners in the suburbs if there are not enough deer... Ask the Auto Insurance Agents what they think too...

What are the Coyote Bite and Death StatisticsDid you know that there are only two human deaths attributed to a coyote attack in recorded history? The latest death of a young musician is still being investigated. Compare to the 15 - 20 deaths per year attributed to domestic dog attacks.
Coyote bites that require hospitalization are extremely rare and of course, newsworth because of their rarity. Compare this to the roughly 1,000 domestic dog bites per day treated in USA emergency rooms!
Coyote attacks are clearly not a realistic threat- but domestic dog attacks ARE. Nearly all coyote attacks can be attributed to humans feeding coyotes, either knowlingly, or through carelessness. Don't feed the coyotes.

Do Coyotes Decrease Turkey Populations?NO. Disease can wipe out an entire flock of birds. Coyotes prey on the slowest, weakest birds. It is these birds that are likely coming down with a virus that could potentially wipe out the entire flock. Studies show that the Wild Turkey Population in New England is larger and stronger than ever - Thanks to coyotes!

Does Killing Coyotes Control Their Population?FACT: NO! Did you know that when coyotes are killed it stimulates population growth through larger litters, stronger pups and more breeding females in an area? The only thing that controls the population of coyotes is the amount of available prey. Hunting and trapping causes MORE coyotes the following year!

October 29, 2008

Do Coyotes Kill Deer Fawns?

Some people are concerned that coyotes are killing deer fawns. Lets talk about that.There is an urban legend, or myth, (a rumour) that is being perpetuated in certain circles about a trail camera that was set up at a coyote den that shows "40 dead fawns in a week killed and brought to the pups. Fawn heads everywhere". Like many myths, this one is most likely untrue, and just a tale to get you to think coyotes are bad. Lets start by asking for legitimate, dated photos. Then of course they will need to be authenticated- perhaps a trail camera that actually shows a coyote (not a human) bringing healthy, live caught (not scavanged) fawns to a real den of pups. Mysteriously when asked for photos the answer is always "someoone else has them". No such photos really exist. Of course some people are gullible and will believe this and pass the rumor along - and of course the more a story is told, the grander it gets.

Fawns have a natural mechanism to avoid predation by coyotes. They lay very still and don't move. When a predator (i.e. human, coyote or bear) comes close, they lay very still and don't get up and run. Since predators are attracted by movement (picture your family cat here), unless the fawn is moving he will most likely go unnoticed. Of course, an ill-informed human is likely to pick up the fawn, believing it is "abandoned by its mother", bring it home, let the kids and dog play with it , give it cows milk, and of course as a result the fawn will probably die. However, a coyote or bear will likely just walk by and leave it alone.

When a fawn loses its mother (usually hit by a car), when it gets hungry, it may walk around bleating. This of course will attract a predator and the fawn will be taken. It was going to die anyway, at least it became part of the food chain and was used to feed and sustain life for others.

Deer often have twins and triplets. Rarely do all the triplets survive. At least one, sometimes two or all three will be very small and unthrifty and will die. These fawns will become food for other animals. That is natures way.

Different viruses or bacterial infections will often go through a population, deer are no exception. Some years illness will claim a lot of fawns. These fawns will become food for predators. Coyotes and bears will take some of these fawns. In suburban areas where deer are a problem, the loss of fawns can be a good thing as it slows the growth of the deer population. Coyotes and bears themselves however can not control the deer population.

Some deer hunters who don't like coyotes think it is a terrible thing if a coyote kills a fawn - yet they don't hesitate to pull the trigger themselves that very fall on the same fawn. A better understanding of the circle of life and predator/prey relationships is needed here. It isn't the "Bad predators against the good prey". It is nature as God intended it to work. It is Biology and Conservation in action.

Predators keep prey populations in check and weed out the weak. Man however, takes the strong (Big Buck contests). Who is wrong here? Shouldn't hunters also be taking the small and the weak so that the strong can pass on their genese and produce more viable young? Imagine how glorious and big bucks would be if man didn't keep killing the big ones, but rather allowed them to live for many years passing along those superior genetics!

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I have pic of an healthy adult 10 point buck being attacked ,killed,and eaten by a pair of coyote's. I will be happy to email them to you.

COMMENT BY EASTERN COYOTE INSTITUTE: Thank you, Jared! We had seen them, but since you were so kind to bring them to our attention, we thought it would make a great blog post. See our February 6, 2012 post.

Coyote have an amazing sense of smell. It is very naive to suggest they won't know a fawn is present if the fawn lays still and is quiet. People should spend more time outdoors before trying to explain wildlife. COMMENT BY EASTERN COYOTE INSTITUTE: "People should spend more time outdoors before trying to explain wildlife" We couldn't have said it better ourselves, thank you!

I just read on the NH Fish & Game website that the average lifespan of the eastern coyote is about 4 years. I find it hard to believe that people try to blame the coyote for devastating the local deer population when this is the case. I love seeing coytoes in my field, and agree that mother nature will care for her own without the intervention on hunters who feel the need to "manage" the coyote population.

Coyotes don't play just like dogs, they have their own mannerisms, but they do some of the things that dogs do and do play much like them. Coyotes are very intelligent and very playful with each other.

One thing that's always made me, quite literally, laugh out loud is that many sport hunters will try to gain sympathetic responses from the uninformed by attempting to demonize predators. First it was the wolf (and there's still a group dedicated to that), and it's now, more than ever, the coyote.

In regards to trophy hunting (aimed at deer populations, that is), these hunters nearly always take the strongest, prettiest and healthiest animals, which leaves only the sick to breed. Studies have shown that populations of animals that have been harvested for trophy are actually going through a process opposite of evolution; in short, deer in general are starting to shrink in size.

I doubt that many of these trophy hunters actually care about what happens to deer fawns. I'm actually not totally against hunting does, because I admit I don't know as much about hunting does as I do bucks, but logically, it's probably better than hunting bucks if one wants to argue that they're helping with overpopulation. Eh, like I said, I don't know a whole bunch about that, so don't take my word for it completely.

The overpopulation excuse for any animal, I believe, is just a bull excuse to go trigger or hound happy. Animal populations do in fact manage themselves. All it took was one biology class in high school to disprove the overpopulation excuse. It's basic biology. And common sense.

Please tell me how a mosquito or fly are any different than a fawn or coyote or any other wildlife.Just because they are not cute and fuzzy they are all living, breathing and gods creations. When you slap a mosquito on your arm or hit a fly with a fly swatter, tearing off a wing or worse.Like it or not, you are no different than a hunter, trapper or fisherman!

*Note from Coyote Institute: We were going to save you the embarrassment of publishing stupid comments from the hunters, but then decided, what the heck, lets let the public see the mentality of the guys out there with the guns and dogs. But to answer your question.... Gee, lets see........ could it be the brain and nervous system perhaps?

I enjoyed looking at your site. Good work, and so happy you are advocating the coyote, who no one seems to like, and gets blamed just for doing what it has to survive. I am a wolf advocate in North Idaho, so I can really relate to your arguments and what you are up against. Keep up the good work! (I would be sad indeed to no longer hear coyotes at night!) Ann

Don't forget those 'glorious' managed hunts sponsored by many counties where does and fawns (5 months of age) are killed to protect yards and cars. We have them TWICE in our area: November (sandwiched between bow hunting and gun hunting) and then in January.